Sophisticated, but what does that mean?! This smoke is pleasantly sweet and mild with just the right mix of Cavendish and Sweet Virginia Tobaccos. Ah, People will think you are some sort of afficionado that is what Sophisticated means... Topped with a rich fruit note.

The flake inside the tin is one long, continuous flake that is folded to fit, and very easily breaks apart. A Virginia and cavendish blend that offers lots of citrus and a couple other fruit flavors along with some grassiness, and a hint of earth and spice. I also get a little honey. Sometimes it's like smoking honey fruit graham crackers. Reminds me of Orlik Golden Sliced in some ways, but this is just a little stronger with less citrus and a dark fruit and earth notes that OGS lacks. Not much nicotine here. The moisture level of the tobacco is perfect out of the tin, requiring no dry time. Burns at a moderate rate with a consistent creamy smooth taste with no weak, harsh or dull spots. Leaves no moisture in the bowl, and can be smoked to ashes. Has a very pleasant room note and after taste. A very comfortable all day uncomplicated smoke that wears well during your smoking day.

I sampled a bit of this blend recently. In the tin, it resembles the 100g tins of OGS: long flakes folded up. The similarity to OGS continued with its appearance, its moisture, and how it loads. Its similar. Even the flavor is similar, but it has a bit more going on. OGS has a more mild flavor compared to Gatsby Luxury Flake. It's much more bold in flavor: shades of fruity, and plenty of roundness. Its character almost reminded me of a Sirrah wine: its flavor is symphonic. There is a lot going on, but it all works in concert. It also reminded me a bit of Dunhill Flake, but again, is a bit more bold. Pretty good on its own (though, with a bit of perique, this blend would be amazing). The only thing I dislike is the name. "Old Sport Flake" would be much more fitting...

This was a very unique blend, in my opinion. The long roll was rather easy to break up into manageable slices easy to rub out. The tin note was sweet and semi-candy like mixed with a touch of that natural Virginia leaf smell. What struck me was the instant flavor after the initial tamp and re-light. Every bowl has this same consistent impact of sweet flavor. Unlike the tin note, the sweet flavor seems fruit like, this works in tandem with the Virginias very well. I think the addition of the cavendish simply intensifies the Virginias. I did not necessarily find it to burn altogether harsh or hot, however; it burned for a good long while. I broke in a new pipe with this blend and it was the right tabac for the job. All in all, I recommend this tobacco.

*Edit: I have since set fire to the rest of the tabac and I am longing for more. When that happens, I must note that this is a tobacco worth keeping around. I gave it three starts initially, I am now adding the last star. I think the unique nature, in terms of my palate, is the draw. Amongst my love of VA/Pers and VA/Burs and Straight VA, this stands alone as completely different. Unlike Peter Stokkebye's Luxury Bullseye Flake or Davidoff's Medallions and many other VA/Cavendish blends, the marriage between the cavendish and Virginias in Gatsby is of a completely different nature. Granted, even though the aforementioned blends contain a touch of perique, I think that all of these blends are designed similarly, and should be bracketed accordingly. However, despite similar properties to other tabacs, it stands alone. Four stars!

I recently did a Virginia/Cavendish exploration including such blends as this, 1931 flake, MB navy flake and a couple others I can't recall ATM. I found most of them I really didn't enjoy too much. They didn't have the punch I was looking for in Nicotine and the sweetness tasted fake, like log cabin syrup vs real maple syrup or artificial sweeteners. This blend is the only one I really enjoyed. This must have Golden Cavendish as the flakes are uniformly light in color. As mentioned it comes in one long roll that I unrolled and cut into manageable flakes to jar.

This blend must be smoked at an appropriate pace as it can get hot/bitey. When smoked correctly, be ready for one of the sweetest smokes you will have. Nice virginia flavor complements the natural tasting sweetness, and the virginia provides a nice nicotine punch I like. A friend of mine who also enjoys this blend says that the cavendish is "like cheating" when comparing the sweetness of this to other straight Virginia blends.

Just purchased 4 tins for cellaring so in my book, this is a great tobacco for those who like a sweet tobacco and can smoke at the right pace.

I was fast on my first 1/3 of the bowl.. I thought it was rough and had a acid scent in the smoke.. after that it came in to its own and i really started to enjoy it, I got a touch of black tea on the taste at the end. I got two tins ill store one for a while and see how some age effects the taste in a year or so.. not a fav yet but it will do

I do believe this is my current favorite Virginia. I enjoy everything about this surprisingly flavorful blend... from the flake cut to the moistness level and the subtle creamy (almost vanilla?) taste. It is also easy to smoke, much more so than Orlik Golden, which I found to run rather hot only halfway through the bowl. Lovely accompaniment to my 'regular rotation' of English blends, Gatsby is a keeper. Highly recommended.

Of all the Drew Estate blends, this is the only one that caught my interest. I smoke predominantly Virginia or Virginia based blends, so I thought I'd give this one a try. Frankly, I was pleasantly surprised. I heard that most of their blends are rather lackluster so I wasn't expecting much. What I got- a GREAT Danish Virginia flake that I will definitely smoke again. It has a very satisfying creamy sweetness that has surprising depth. If you're a fan of Virginia tobaccos, I highly recommend you give this a try.

==EDIT==

Perhaps I was a little too excited upon first trying this to hold off reviewing until after I had smoked it more. I loved my first bowl, but have yet to replicated the "wow" factor I experienced upon first smoking it.

A nice Virginia/Cavendish flake in the old tradition. It's very similar to Capstain blue and, to a lesser degree, Orlik Golden Sliced (sans the Pèrique). Mild to medium, it is not as falvorsome as Dunhill flake (less sweet, less fruity), and if pressed too hard it may lead to tongue bite. The flake comes in a long, single strand, easy to break and not too moist. A good Virginia smoke for the early evening, perhaps with a sip of Earl Grey.

Drew estates can always be counted on to give a daily smoke tobacco. This upon opening held a very light smell. Rolling into a pipe was easy. First light came rather slow and sputtered to death. Took three matches to light. Tamp down and smoked. Again it produced a very light smoke with bland taste. Nothing jumps out here at all. Reminded me of eating apple. A lot of work but not much flavor. Became slightly sweeter half way down but quickly died a death of 1000 knives. I will jar the tin but it was a bust for flavor or enjoyment. Just bland tobacco.

I always look forward to smoking flakes, I love'em. They are simply my favorite type of pipe baccy. For some reason I was expecting something different with this one, but, lo! what I got instead was a flake that I've already smoked before.

This is not a bad thing. I'll explain. When I opened this baby up, I thought, hey, this is Solani Silver Flake. Looked much the same, smelled much the same, and it smoked much the same. In fact, I felt Gatsby was so close to SSF that I pulled out my tin of Solani and fired up a bowl along with the Gatsby. I was hard pressed to tell the difference. Now, why isn't this a bad thing? SSF cost twice as much (or more) than Gatsby. For someone on a budget, you can pretty much get the same blend for half the cost. That's why this flake is of interest.

I really like SSF, and, honestly, Gatsby's right there with that one, so, I heartily recommend Gatsby Flake, especially for someone who's on a budget. I'll give this one a strong 3 three stars (3.75).

I would call this "just okay", nothing exceptional by any stretch. It is a very light colored "bright" virginia with just traces of dark ( the cavendish? ). It also starts better than it finishes, my bowls are usually interrupted requiring Relights which brought out an ashieness for a couple of puffs. Will likely finish the tin but not buy again.

Long, folded flakes ~ to Reiner's GF in appearance with mostly yellow and some darker brown sections. Even though the tin was vacuum sealed when received, the tobacco was much drier than my preference. Smoked cool and without bite or condensation. I found the taste relatively flat but that may be due to the absence of any Perique. A typical Cavendish taste that I won't try again.

I didn't like this blend at first. After a long day, I sat down to a pipe of this with a glass of scotch. Big mistake. It was way too mild and smoked very hot. So I put this tin away for almost a year. Today on a whim I decided to give it another try at lunch. I let a couple pinches dry out for several hours, and what I got knocked my socks off. Still a very delicate flavor, though by no means as mild as some I've smoked, but it was absolutely wonderful for a light afternoon smoke. Lots of Virginia sweetness, and the room note alone is addictive. It's very easy on the nicotine. It would be a great all-day smoke. Turns out this is great stuff, I just didn't know how to appreciate it. Lesson learned.

I was recently gifted a tin by my local tobacconist. After smoking my first pipe-full, I felt compelled to read reviews for this blend, as I picked up a distinct and foul note in the aroma. While burning, the smoke directly from the bowl had a very pronounced ammonia-like smell that burns my nasal passage not unlike a good dose of horseradish. It quickly dissipates when mixed with the air though and the overall room note is enjoyable enough. Somewhere between late autumn and vanilla sugar cookies. I was just so curious about this ammonia smell though. Is this a common occurrence? It is for sure the first time I have experienced this and though I am relatively new to pipe smoking (coming up on a year) I have smoked my way through a considerable variety whilst searching for my favourite blends. This particular Virginia may not make said list for me, but I will certainly smoke this tin and consider getting another to see how it is with age. This tobacco is bright and mildly sweet to me and overall, I'd recommend it to fans of similar blends. It burned slow and even, leaving a nice white ash and only the smallest hint of moisture. I only had to re-light my bowl once. Sweet and light, I believe this certainly qualifies as an 'all-day smoke'

As reported, this consists of one long, folded flake in the tin. It's easy to break apart and load, and arrives at the perfect moisture level. Just pack and light, and you're on your way.

It is similar to Golden Sliced but is a bit heavier and richer. The Virginias are tart and tangy, delivering all the juicy sweet/sour notes that I love. The topping is very light -- dried fruit and citrus -- and never overpowering, artificial or bitter. It enhances the core tobacco.

It burns cool and sweet and is very easygoing and forgiving in the bowl. I've smoked this in a variety of pipes and it's consistently excellent each time. This is a real treat for the Virginia lover. Not an aromatic. It's the real deal, and Drew really hit it out of the park with this one. I was pleasantly surprised.

I've been a long time Aro guy (with an occasional change of pace for VaPers and/or mild Latakia blends). I recently decided to venture off of my customary path and try some different baccys. GLF came on sale @ Pipes & Cigars so I decided to give it a try ... and boy am I glad that I did! I love this lightly sweet cool smoking Flake. Others have adequately described the sweet hay-like notes & tasty flavor so I'll let those descriptions suffice. I've tried this both rubbed out & by the fold and stuff method. I like it both ways but tend to prefer the latter ... just seems more flavorable to me. Nonetheless, my new find has opened the door for me to venture into some new & similar flake tobaccos that I've been reluctant to try in the past. Of course, I've also stocked up on GLF as I think I'll keep this new friend in my rotation for a long time ... as long the Good Lord allows!

This is a very tasty, rather sweet flake composed of high quality brightleaf, mostly lemon and orange grades, and some golden Cavendish to which a mild and harmonious berry flavoring has been added. The flavor profile is not exactly duplicated elsewhere, in my experience. Like F&T Cut Virginia Plug with some berry. Very smooth and surprisingly biteless for a sweet smoke. I don’t find I need to rein in my tendency to puff fairly hard. This is now my go to flake when not in the mood for one of the darker McClelland flakes.This blend has been discontinued and is on sale as of 2017 at very low prices at some online merchants. I have stocked up to cellar many years supply. I think the Drew folk gave some pretty demanding lead and manufacturing specs for their line, a pity it is gone.

Just like Orlik Golden Sliced, the presentation is one long flake coiled up. When I take the tobacco out of the tin there's only the tiniest amount of oil/juice on the paper; the moisture's great. So, if you choose to crumble your flake (as I do), a fine consistency can be achieved easily. Getting a bowl of Gatsby ignited is simple, and it burns steadily right from word go.

I like the taste, but I find it relatively simple. I don't get much fruit/citrus; maybe a very slight citrus edge but nothing more than that. The main flavour's a quality Cavendish one: Virginia and honey. For the nicotine I'll go with the majority of reviewers: mild to medium. Although the burn's even, it's too warm, making the pipe uncomfortable to hold, and burning my tongue! The aroma from the room-note's nice, but it makes too much smoke; it's unbearable for other people. I'll finish on a positive: due to the heat, when it comes to emptying the pipe out there's only pure ash in the bowl; everything's been incinerated!

This isn't the worst blend, the taste is O.K, but on the whole it's a bit of a disappointment.

This is another great mild Virginia blend that came in my tin as a long roll of blondish tobacco. The tin description states it has Virginia and Cavendish which i don't doubt due to the inherent sweetness. The tin note is delicious and made me salivate on the drive home, people must have thought i was on drugs since i had my shnoz firmly implanted in the tin! Beautiful to look at, very classy and with a pretty label (OK i'm sold!) I agree GLF is very similar to OGS and is one of the best of this genre, sweet hay notes, a little oatey, not bite if sipped and quite tasty! Drew Estates produces some fine cigars and pipe tobacco and this is at the top. 4 stars for quality, presentation and being very affordable. 3 stars for me bc i prefer other Virginia Flakes over this one but would without a doubt recommend it!

I really had no preconceived notions when I purchased this tin. I wasn't expecting anything other than a quality smoke and by itself I think that Gatsby is just that, a quality tobacco blend. It has a sweet fruity flavor that is present but not overpowering or fake tasting. I made the mistake of smoking my first bowl in a pipe I normally reserve for aromatic blends and the subtle flavor of the tobacco was lost by the ghosts of tobaccos past. My second (and subsequent) bowls after that however were in a fresh restored estate pipe and to my surprise and delight the more subtle flavors came out to play almost immediately. I don't know if I would considered GLF an "all day smoke" for myself but I could see how some might enjoy it on a more regular basis. Personally I view it as an excellent dessert smoke. Some tobaccos are more enjoyable when paired with a drink... GLF in my opinion is one that is best enjoyed when paired with a port wine. I found Sandeman Fine Ruby Port to be the most tasty and it complimented the fruit flavor while maintaining the creamy texture of the tobacco itself.

The only reason I gave this 3 stars instead of 4 is because (for me) it is more of a once in awhile smoke as opposed to something I could smoke all day every day and never get tired of it. I reserve Gatsby Luxury Flake as a treat rather than a constant companion.

First review here. On cracking couple month old tin (DE should put date stickers on the tins) the aroma was fig and something I couldn't quite put my finger on, something near a fruit juice but not forward and obvious. Aesthetically, the flakes were a gorgeous 8-9 inch long golden hued baccy. Not overly moist but enough to be very pliable without breaking the flake. On lighting, I got the VA grassiness and thick honey like sweetness. This is not an aromatic, but the honey was hard to ignore. Not an entirely bad thing. I sipped it relatively slow but did get more bite than I'm accustomed to. This could be the moisture being more present than most of my jarred stock . I may be returning to add to this as the tin nears it's end. Not at all bad but there are many others I would be eager to cellar.